Just a quick post about free certification education and vouchers for Veterans, military members transitioning to civilian life, Reservist, National Guard, or military spouses: For people who have served in the military and want a certification such as A+, Network+, CISSP, etc. then I recommend checking out Onward to Opportunity (O2O) or CyberVetsUSA for education and certification help. However, today I will talk about O2O, as I got accepted to get free education and one voucher for CompTIA, Cisco, Oracle, or any other exam that they offer. First, I would like the Schultz Family Foundation and other sponsors for making this possible. Exam vouchers can cost Continue reading

It took forever, but I finally got the Network+ certification. Because I got the A+ cert, I have CompTIA IT Operations Specialist (CIOS) stackable cert. One reason I got the CompTIA Net+ certification was that getting the CCNA certification is too tough. I remember when I took the ICND1 test, I got a low passing score. Therefore, my confidence tanked on taking the ICND2 certification test in the near future. So, I went to a different route: getting the Network+ cert. Below are the study materials that I used and it requires low or no cost to pass the N10-007 test. The study period can range from 5-8 weeks. If you are really good at taking test, then you can Continue reading

I just finished the 4th course and final class for Cisco Networking. After this, I think I can take the CCNA certification test. In less than one year, I study my butt off and push myself in learning about networking. This quick 8- week semester was a bit easier than the CCNA-3, but it requires a bit more planning to do a student project and the CCNA-4 case study. The case study is a giant packet tracer assignment that test everything you learn from all 4 courses. I will spare you the details for the student project, which is a project to do a PowerPoint and show the class what is your dream network. The case study is a packet tracer file that wants you to Continue reading

I have finished the 3rd CCNA: Scaling Networks course and that leaves me with 1 more to go. Also, I took the ICND1 certification test during this time period. So this post will be a 2-in-1 post special. So first, let me tell you the Scaling Networks course that I took at Palomar College, San Diego. It’s tough! In the first 8 weeks of spring semester, Palomar College offers Cisco network class for about $150. I took the other two courses (Introduction to Networks and Routing and Switching Essentials) and I have to say that the coursework is a bit tougher. One thing that I felt that the course is a bit faster and if you need to read a bit more. Sometimes, Continue reading

I was unemployed for so long, that I had an idea to just get a certification while I kept sending my resumes to many companies. I chose the Comptia A+ as I thought I could easily get the certification in less than 2 months. The goal was to study the 220-901 information for 4 weeks and take the test in January. Then, study the 220-902 objectives for 3 weeks and take the test in February. The goal was to get a score around 800 of 900, use free Android apps, and see what good websites that offers free or cheap online training. At the end, it was doable. So, let me tell you what free training I choose to get my certification. Cybrary is a good place for free Continue reading

Another semester (8 weeks course) and it was great. The Cisco Routing & Switching Essentials course was a bit tougher than the Introduction to Networks course. I used the third edition book (eBay was like $15), but I believe that the 4th edition had new content that I needed for the last quizzes. For example, the third edition had 11 chapters and only 9 chapters were covered in this course. The 4th edition have 10 chapters and one of those chapters have new material not found on the third edition. I still believe you can use the previous edition to pass this class, as the online materials goes in to good details. If you don’t believe me, then buy the Continue reading

It was not long ago that I looked at the packet tracer online course that was offer at Cisco Network Academy for free. I think it was a good introduction to see how networking works in the small working environment, but I felt that it was lacking core skills. Well, I took CCNA R&S: Introduction to Networks and I have to say that I like it. I mean, I like it a lot. The problem for people who takes this course is that you need to take this course at a real location and the cost is determine by the institution. At my local community college, it cost $50 a unit; therefore, this 3 unit program cost about $150. However, if you add the one textbook, school Continue reading

Recently I did a phone interview that did not go well. To be fair, I did not study the basics for networking pretty well, but I should at least brush up my networking skills. For instance, the job I was applying involved security and expensive software that detects intrusion. Of course I did my homework and did research on the company and the software that they used. I also went back and grab some old college books that linked to Windows Server 2012 and CentOS. However, the phone interview questions were the simple questions as what OSI model layer do you find the network cable. I said 7, but realized after that I had everything upside down (7 was 1 and 1 Continue reading